Vermont Senate Reduces Penalties for Some Campaign Finance Violators

The Vermont Senate has voted to reduce the penalty for some publicly funded candidates who violate Vermont's campaign finance laws.

Current law calls for candidates who opt for public funding to pay back whatever they hadn't spent on the date of the violation, once a violation is proved.

Attorney General William Sorrell recently charged that Dean Corren, an unsuccessful candidate for lieutenant governor in 2014, had violated the law during the campaign. Sorrell said Corren needed to repay $72,000 - most of it under that cash-on-hand provision.

The Senate on Friday voted to retain fines for campaign violations, as well as repayment of the amounts improperly raised or spent. But it would not require repayment of money left in a candidate's account on the date of a violation.